Catalog
1/2 Thaler
| Issuer | Lüneburg, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1546 |
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| Value | 1/2 Thaler |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the fortified city gate of Lüneburg, rendered in high relief in a late medieval heraldic style, featuring three crenellated towers above an arched gateway. Within the archway at the base, a shield bearing a rampant lion — the arms of Lüneburg — is prominently displayed. The composition is framed by a beaded inner circle, with the circumferential Latin legend reading MONETA + NOVA + CIVITATIS + LVNEBVR. running clockwise around the periphery. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | MONETA + NOVA + CIVITATIS + LVNEBVR. |
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| Additional information |
Lüneburg's wealth in the sixteenth century rested almost entirely on salt — the city controlled the Lüneburg Heath saltworks, one of the most productive in northern Europe, and the revenue funded an unusually aggressive civic coinage program. This half thaler was struck just as the Schmalkaldic War was gathering momentum, with Protestant princes scrambling to finance military coalitions against Charles V. Lüneburg, a committed Lutheran city since the 1520s, had both the means and the motive to produce substantial silver currency in 1546.
Mader 147a indicates a specific die variant within the type.